ADHD QUIZ!!!!

The average genetic contribution to adhd is:

80%, 60%, 40%, or 20%

If your child is adhd, the probability you have it is:

70%, 50%, or 20%

The first accurate description of the adhd syndrome was in: 1798, 1842, 1913. 1974

In any given patient, all stimulants (dextroamphetamine or ritalin) are all about equally effective: true or false?

Who refills their adhd med prescriptions the least? Kids, adolescents, college kids, or elderly?

Psychostimulants help non-adhd individuals drive better? True or false?

It is proven that psychostimulants are effective boosters to antidepressants. True or false?

The questions clinicians want answered:

• How do I diagnose adult ADHD in the outpatient setting?

– Highest specificity in particular

– Malingering?

• How do I decide on which stimulant or non-stimulant to use and at what doses?

• How to deal with co-morbid substance use?

• How do I deal with the comorbidity as regards:

– What do I treat first?

– Contraindications to stimulant use?

Issue of heritability vital in interview:

• If you are ADHD, each of your parents has a 30% odds of having suffering from it

• If your child is ADHD, you have a 50% probability of having silently suffered from it

Delayed brain growth in ADHD (3 yrs.)From Shaw, P. et al. (2007). ADHD is characterized by a delay in cortical maturation. Proceedings of the National Academy of

Sciences, 104, 19649-19654.

Greater than 2 years’ delay

0 to 2 years delay

Ns: ADHD=223; Controls = 223

Cerebral Glucose Metabolism in Adults with Hyperactivity of Childhood Onset

Copyright © 1990 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved; permission pending.

Zametkin AJ, et al. N Engl J Med. 1990;323(20):1361-6.

• Global and regional glucose metabolism by PET scan reduced in adults who have been hyperactive since childhood

• Largest reductions in:

– Premotor cortex

– Superior prefrontal cortex

Normal

With ADHD

Setting us straight

• ADHD is a developmental neurobehavioral disorder with biopsychosocial risk factors

– Maternal-fetal variables such as smoking,alcoholism, obstetrical complications, low birth weight

– Psychological variables such as abuse, deprivation, co-morbid mental health disorders

– Genetic loci: dopamine receptor polymorphisms, dopamine reuptake protein

– Strong neuroimaging correlates to all the above

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Fired from job

Incarcerated

Arrested

Serious car accident

Accident prone

Substance abuse

STD

Teen pregnancy

< high school

Repeat a grade

Subjects (%)

ADHD

Normal

Barkley RA. Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment, 1998. Barkley RA, et al. JAACAP. 1990;29:546-557.Biederman J, et al. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1996;53:437–446. Weiss et al. J Am Acad Child Psychiatry. 1985;24:211-220. Satterfield, Schell. JAACAP. 1997;36:1726-1735. Biederman J, et al. Am J Psychiatry. 1995;152:1652-1658.

Functional Impairment in Patients with ADHD Compared to Those Without

Example:

Meta-analysis of

alcohol studies

Meta-analysis of

drug studies

Barkley

Lambert

Biederman

Huss

Loney

Molina

More likely to have SUD* Less likely to have SUD*

0 2 4 6 8 10

Impact of ADHD Pharmacotherapy on Later Substance Use DisordersImpact of ADHD Pharmacotherapy on Later Substance Use Disorders

SUD = substance use disorder*Compared to unmedicated

youth with ADHD

OR = 1

Childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and the Emergence of Personality Disorders in Adolescence: A

Prospective Follow-Up Study

• Individuals diagnosed with childhood ADHD are at increased risk for personality disorders in late adolescence, specifically borderline (OR = 13.16), antisocial (OR = 3.03), avoidant (OR = 9.77), and narcissistic (OR = 8.69) personality disorders.

• Those with persistent ADHD were at higher risk for antisocial (OR = 5.26) and paranoid (OR = 8.47) personality disorders but not the other personality disorders when compared to those in whom ADHD remitted.

Adult Adhd: presentation, diagnosis, differential

Me

an

N

um

be

r o

f S

ym

pto

ms

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

Age (year)

<6 6–8 9–11 12–14 15–17 18–20

Syndromatic Criteria

Inattention

Impulsivity

Hyperactivity

Fonctional

impairments

Age-dependent decline of ADHD Symptoms

Age-dependent decline of ADHD Symptoms

ASRS Screener v1.1

1. Inattention Never Rarely Some-times

Often VeryOften

How often do you have trouble wrapping up the final details of a project, once the challenging parts have been done?

0 1 2* 3* 4*

How often do you have difficulty getting things in order when you have to do a task that requires organization?

0 1 2* 3* 4*

When you have a task that requires a lot of thought, how often do you avoid or delay getting started?

0 1 2 3* 4*

How often do you have problems remembering appointments or obligations?

0 1 2* 3* 4*

1. HyperactivityImpulsivityHow often do you fidget or squirm with your hands or feet when you have to sit down for a long time?

0 1 2 3* 4*

How often do you feel overly active and compelled to do things, like you were driven by a motor?

0 1 2 3* 4*

Significant items in Red (*p=0.5); Likely to have ADHD with ≥ 4 significant items

World Health Organization http://www.med.nyu.edu/psych/assets/adhdscreen18.pdf

“ADHD in Adulthood: Assessment and Pharmacotherapy”, Craig Surman, Massachusetts General Hospital

Adult ADHD Research Program, Harvard Medical School

Adult ASRS Screener and Question list

• Standardized and useful screening, diagnostic, and follow up tool– Use all the questions on the ASRS list,

not just screener in interview

• Threshold for Likely to Have ADHD: ≥4 significant items on screener

• Screener Sensitivity = 68.7%

• Screener Specificity = 99.5%

• Positive predictive value (PPV) using 3% estimate of prevalence = 80%

• More follow up done on positive screener questions, higher the PPV

• Total ASRS designed and useful to track treatment response

Case Presentation: Diagnostic Prioritization for Pharmacotherapy

Alcohol and substance abuse

Mood disorders

Bipolar and MDD

Anxiety disordersObsessive-compulsive disorder,

generalized anxiety disorder, panic

ADHD

Goodman D. Treatment and assessment of ADHD in adults. In: Biederman J, ed. ADHD Across the Life Span: From Research to Clinical Practice—An Evidence-Based Understanding. Hasbrouck Heights, NJ: Veritas Institute for Medical Education, Inc.2005.

Order of treatment also considers the severity

of the concurrent disorders.

Borderline Personality

Moreover, ADHD and BPD frequently co-occur, with

rates of BPD among adults with ADHD ranging from

19% to 37% (e.g., Miller et al.). Finally, there is evidence

to suggest that childhood ADHD may be a risk factor

Neuropsychological testing

• Not to be routinely done

• Possible indications:– To rule out school or workplace difficulties that

appear unrelated to attentional deficits: learning disabilities, IQ issues

– Question of organic or congenital brain lesions or neurological trauma donating to disability

– To rule out psychiatric diagnoses that imitate or are comorbid to the cardinal ADHD symptoms but are difficult to identify

– Lack of treatment response

– Malingering or factitious disorders suspected

Diagnostic considerations: Summary

• While the ASRS cannot replace the diagnostic interview, it should be given to all higher risk clients outlined and used to follow treatment results

• The ASRS results should form a basis for further questioning, using the positive test items as a base (DISTRACTED)

• Corroboration by previous scholastic history, marks, childhood, and everyday behaviors by relatives/parents/spouse very helpful

• Comorbidity is the rule rather than the exception and mood/anxiety disorders common

Prevalence of SUD: Prospective 4-Year Follow-up Study

Overall Rate of Substance Use Disorder

P<.001 across groups.

Biederman J, et al. Pediatrics. 1999;104:e20.

Per

cen

tag

e o

f G

rou

p

01020304050607080

Unmedicated

ADHD

Medicated

ADHD

Non-ADHD

Control

75%

25%18%

(n=19) (n=56) (n=137)

ADHD Medication and Substance-Related Problems

American Journal of Psychiatry, Volume 174, Issue 9, September 01, 2017, pp. 877-885

• In the largest study to examine whether ADHD medications are associated with differences in risk for substance-related problems, researchers identified 3 million individuals aged 13 years or older who received either an ADHD diagnosis or treatment for ADHD with a stimulant or non-stimulant atomoxetine from 2005 to 2014.

• Models showed that use of ADHD medication was associated with 35% lower odds of concurrent substance-related events among men and 31% lower odds among women.

Dealing with comorbidity in treatment

SUD:

determine pattern and severity and potential risk of med interactions or medication diversion

Detox-rehab needed to clear sud-related symptoms

When some results achieved, use either atomexetine or long acting stimulants, depending on relapse risk.

Mood disorders:

Treat the primary affective state with antidepressants or mood stabilizers;

If the core inattentive symptoms persist, add on extended release stimulants or atomexetine;

Odds of manic switch appear rare with mood stabilizers in place

ADHD and Bipolarity: Controversial

Potentially huge rates of ADHD comorbidity have been found in children with Manic-Depressive disorder, but this is hotly disputed, and is an issue in adults as well

22% of ADHD adults appear to suffer from bipolarity, men=women

Treat the bipolarity first with mood stabilizers, consider all treatment options thereafter if ADHD symptoms remain and are disabling; little evidence that one treatment creates more switches into mania than any other if already stabilized.

Distinguishing the symptoms of mania from ADHD is a concern, features that help include:

Discrete but prolonged dysphoric or euphoric episodes

Psychotic symptoms such as delusions

Decreased need for sleep

Grandiosity, hypersexuality, bizareness

ADHD has significant and chronic attention deficits

Case Presentation: Diagnostic Prioritization for Pharmacotherapy

Alcohol and substance abuse

Mood disorders

Bipolar and MDD

Anxiety disordersObsessive-compulsive disorder,

generalized anxiety disorder, panic

ADHD

Goodman D. Treatment and assessment of ADHD in adults. In: Biederman J, ed. ADHD Across the Life Span: From Research to Clinical Practice—An Evidence-Based Understanding. Hasbrouck Heights, NJ: Veritas Institute for Medical Education, Inc.2005.

Order of treatment also considers the severity

of the concurrent disorders.

Borderline Personality

Effect sizes were heterogeneous for most outcome measures. Studies

with active control groups showed smaller effect sizes. Neither

participant medication status nor treatment format moderated pre-to-

post treatment effects, and longer treatments were not associated with

better outcomes.

J Consult Clin Psychol. 2017 May 15

Meta-Analysis of Cognitive-Behavioral

Treatments for Adult ADHD.

Knouse LE, Teller J, Brooks MA

Important practical issues in pharmacotherapy:

• Stimulant therapy is the backbone of short and long term improvement in all facets of the disorder and social development

• Compliance can be terrible given the forgetfulness and disorganization (I.e BID, TID dosings)

• Meds act quickly and effect fades quickly once blood levels drop: over minutes!

• This lack of 12-18 hour medication coverage has daily functional consequences

• There can be a huge difference in perceived and measured side effects and effectiveness with different formulations, even of the same molecule.

• Tendency for abuse, tolerability, and medication interactions varies significantly with longer vs. shorter acting formulations

• Non stimulants take weeks, not days to work

(remission rates:15-20 % less) Effect size:

0.89

0.7

Substance abusers: active or with high relapse risk

Bipolar disorder? Unstudied

Treatment (continued)

Canadian Resources

• CADDRA (www.caddra.ca)

• CADDAC (www.caddac.ca)

• Teach ADHD (www.teachadhd.ca)

• Learning Disabilities Assn of Canada (www.ldac-taac.ca)

• Learning Disabilities Assn of Ontario (www.ldao.ca)

• Association Québecoise des troubles d'apprentissage (www.aqeta.qc.ca)

• CH.A.D.D. Canada (www.chaddcanada.org)

• PANDA (www.associationpanda.qc.ca)

• The AD/HD Foundation (www.adhdfoundation.ca)